City of Santa Cruz Objective Development Standards for Multi-Family Development and Community Engagement

Urban Planning Partners is workingworked with the City of Santa Cruz to develop objective development standards for multi-family development per State laws SB 35 and the Housing Accountability Act. Given previous misinformation and community resistance to multi-family development, the Urban Planning Partners team (in partnership with InterEthnica) developed and carried out an equity-focused engagement approach to reach communities not typically involved with the planning process including the Latinx community, low- and moderate-income households, and university students. Through targeted engagement and candid discussions with stakeholders, the team facilitated meaningful dialogue that shaped development standards that are economically feasible for developers and representative of community priorities and values.

The team presented the community engagement strategy to the Planning Commission, where they heard unanimous support. The first community event included a presentation on the history and legacy of exclusionary zoning and how it relates to the project. The event put a social justice lens on the project and sought to build understanding and support for increased housing diversity while ensuring that attendees’ future input on the project is informed by knowledge of racial justice. Teaming with InterEthnica, Urban Planning Partners also held a Spanish-language version of the event in addition to the one in English.

In addition to community engagement, the objective standards are informed by robust analysis. Urban Planning Partners led a team of technical subconsultants with economic, transportation, and urban design expertise to ensure the development standards are feasible. Urban Planning Partners, with help from Kristen Hall City Design and Strategic Economics, completed test fits and proforma analyses to identify barriers to development that could be addressed with the objective development standards. The standards were approved by the Santa Cruz City Council on November 15, 2022. Following adoption of the Objective Development Standards, UPP assisted the City in developing an Objective Development Checklist for both applicant and internal use to implement the standards.